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(No ModeL) I v 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. G. W. 85 DE V. ST. JOHN.

HAY ELEVATOR AND-CARRIER.

No. 247,586 Patented Sept. 27,1881.

\A/F E8SE5= I gy (No Model.)

I 2 Sheets--Sheet-2.

G. W. & DE V. ST. JOHN.

' HAY ELEVATOR AND CARRIER.

.N0.-Z47,586.' Patented Sept. 27,1881.

WTHEssEs dw W4 mffi ww ing, well up in the peak of the rafters.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE- GEORGE W. vST. J OHN AND DE VALOIS ST. JOHN, OF LEONARDSVILLE, N. Y.

HAY ELEVATOR AND CARRIER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 247,586, dated September 27, 1881.

Application filed March 14, 1880. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that we, GEORGE W. ST. JOHN and DE VALOIS S'LJOHN, citizens of the Uni-' ted States, residing at Leonardsville, in the county of Madison and State of N ew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements Our invention relates to improvements in that class of hoistin g and carrying devices commonly known as hay-elevators and it consists, first, in the mode of supporting the rail.

or track; and, second, in improvements in the construction of the traveling carriage and parts connected therewith, and in the construction of the bail for supporting the load.

According to our invention, we suspend a bar of iron, by preference round, and of fiveeighths (-27) of an inch diameter along the build- This rod we term a rail-rod.

ported at the driveways by means of pairs of hooks or supports so constructed that when it is desired that the traversing carriage shall pass from any given point in the building in excess of the distance between one pair of hooks to another the rail-rod can he slipped out of any pair of the hooks or supports and allowed to sag, thereby enabling the traversing carriage to pass such point without interruption or removal from the rail-rod. The hooks or supports are arranged in pairs, one on each side of the rafters or supports to which they are attached, one of each pair being right and the other left handed, so that either one or other'of the pair may be .in position to operate on one or other of the catches carried by the traveling carriage, hereinafter more fully described, according to the direction in which the-carriage istraveling. The alternate pairs of hooks orsupports carrying the rail-rod between the two end bearings for the same are placed two inches or more out of the vertical and horizontal line. When the rod is lifted out of any pair or series of pairs of hooks or supports it settles and moves laterally, so as to allow the car to travel the entire length of the building. I

It serves as the railway for the traversing carriage, and is sup-- The carriage is provided with a main framing, having two or more pulleys or wheels mounted therein adapted to run on the railrod. At each end the carriageis provided with sprin g-lever catches mounted in suitable bearings, adapted to engage with peculiarly-formed openings in the hooks or supports carrying the rail-rod. These catches are automatically operated by the upper portion of the bail of the hay or other fork,first, to open the catches, and secondly, by a curved bar or extension arranged near the center thereof to disconnect the catch for the time in operation and allow the carriage to be traversed thedesi-red distance along the building. The carriage at each end is pro-.

vided with a projection, having a projecting collar or extension adapted to retain suitable loops or holders. The loop applied to the extension of the carriage at one end has the end of the hauling and lifting rope attached thereto, while the opposite extension supports a pulley, over which the hauling and lifting rope passes.

The hay-fork or other lifting means is attached to the bail by means of bars or rods, between which is mountedapulley-wheel adapted torunupontheliftingandhaulingrope. Curved guides conduct the bail into proper position, and springs are employed to keep the latches in a locked position, except when being actuated by the bail. l

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, and represent what we consider the best means of carrying out the invention.

Figure 1 represents-a side view of the complete device at the end of its travel and in position for loading. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same. Fig. 3 is a central vertical section. Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a portion of the levers and their upper guides. Fig.5'is a detached view of the end of one of the catches, and Fig. (i-is a full-sized view of one of. the hooks or supports carrying the rail-rod.

Similar letters of reference indicatecorresponding parts in all the figures.

- A represents the rail or track, which is supported by means of a series of pairs of hooks 01 supports, B, provided with projections b,

adapted to be driven into the rafters or supports, (part of one of which is shown at 0, Figs. 1 and 6,) and also with a suitable hole for the reception of a screw or bolt, Z), for the further securing of the hooks B in position. Inclined curved openings B are formed in the lower part of the hooks or supports B, for engaging with the catches of the carriage D, for the purpose of locking the carriage in position for loading.

The carriage D is composed of a pair of curved bars, (1 (I, provided with cross-bars d (P.

E E are pulleys or wheels mounted on axes e 0, carried by the bars cl d, and which, by running on the rod A, serve to support the carriage D.

F F are levers pivoted at ff to the opposite ends of the carriage D. These levers, at one end, are provided with catches f f, while at the opposite ends,f f they are so formed as to interlock for the purpose of simultaneousaction. One of the cndsf being formed with acatch, f, is adapted to engage with and hold the bail and carry the load held by the hayfork or other engaging means. (Not shown.)

d d are springs carried by a bracket, (1 extending out from the cross bar (1. These springs serve to keep the levers F F in a right line, or nearly so, with the catch f bearing against the curved guide d carried by the cross-bar d G G are curved projections carried by the cross-bar (l and adapted to guide the bail correctly into position and prevent its being raised too high.

H is the hauling and lifting rope. This rope at one end is connected to a loop, H, adapted to be readily applied to or removed from one or other of the extensions I, formed on or applied to the opposite ends of the carriage D. These projections I are provided with projecting collars i. The rope H then passes under the pulley K, carried by the rods K, supporting the hay-fork. The rope then passes up over a pulley, L, carried by a loop, L, supported on the extension I at the opposite end of the carriage D.

K is the bail which supports the rods K. This bail is loop-formed, and is provided with a curved cross-piece, k.

The operation of the device is as follows: Supposing the parts to bein theposition shown by Fig.1, in which the carriage D is represented as over a driveway, with its parts in the position they will assume when raising a load. The bail K is now raised by drawing on the rope H sufiiciently to cause the pulley K to raise the rods K and the bail with its load to a height such that the cross-piece k of the bail K shall come between the catch f of the lever F and the guide (1 thereby throwing back the levers F F and disengaging the catch f, for the time in engagement with a hook, B. The carriage D is then free to be drawn along the rod Ato the required distance. This movement is efiected by pulling on the rope H and drawing it and the carriage in the direction of the arrow 1, Fig. 1, until it has carried its load to the desired position, when the same will be dumped by pulling the ordinary dischargingrope of the hay-fork or holding device. The rope H is then slightly slackened, so as to allow the loop of the bail K to rest on the catch f where it will remain until the carriage D has been drawn back the required distance, so thatt-he hookf of the lever F will engage with the opening B of a hook, B, and disengage the bail K from the hookf thereby allowing the bail and its attachments to descend and receive a fresh load on the slackening of the rope H. Immediately the bail K has passed the catch f the levers F F will be forced into a right line by the springs d thereby locking the carriage D in position to receive a load.

The hooks B, for supporting the rods A, as shown by Fig. 6, are formed with a recess, I), for the reception of the rods A, and with a projection, I)", which prevents the same from slipping out accidentally. The hooks B are ap plied to the rafters Gin pairs,forrned right and left handed, in an angular position, for the purpose of facilitating the lifting of the rod A out of the recess b of any one or more of a series of books, B, when it is desired to pass by any one or more hooks Bbeforeloadin g or unloadlug.

It will be readily seen that the carriage D may be worked in either direction on the rod A by simply disengaging the loops H L from the extensions I and reversing their position end for end, and operating the dump-rope in the opposite direction.

Modifications may be made of the invention.

In place of employing a pair of hooks, B,we can employ a double-sided hook adapted to operate on either of the catches f orf, according to the direction in which the carriage D is traveling.

In place of employing a pair of springs, d the same may be one continuous piece; or in some cases we can employ one or more springs of a different character to those shown, so long as the same act on one or both of the levers F F, tending to keep the same in line.

We claim as our invention- 1. The combination, with the carriage D, of the levers F F and springs d (1 arranged and constructed substantially as and for the purpose shown and described.

2. The combination, with a rod, A, and a series of hooks, B, constructed and supported as described, of the carriage D, levers F F, and springs d d, arranged and constructed substantially as set forth.

3. The combination, with a carriage, D, and automatic engaging and disengaging levers F F, of the bail K k, constructed and adapted to operate substantially as described.

4. The combination, with a carriage, D, provided. with guides Gr G d d and. levers F F, our hands, at Leonardsville', Madison county, 10 of the bail K k, constructed and adapted to New York, this 28th day of February, 1881, opraqtlalsubst%ntia1ly as self forth. D in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

0 com ination wit a carriage, ,provided with automatic devices for holding and S disengaging a bail, K of the extensions It and loops H L,pulleys K L, and rope H, sub- Witnesses: stantially as set forth. JOHN 0. WHEELER,

In testimony whereof we have hereunto set B. J. ADAMS. 

